Atlanta, GA
Good Day Atlanta viewer information: May 22, 2023
The hidden secrets of Hollybourne Cottage
People on Jekyll Island call the historic Hollybourne Cottage a ‘diamond in the rough’ — but thanks to ongoing preservation work, it won’t be rough for much longer.
ATLANTA – Jekyll Island’s Hollybourne Cottage:
More than 30 structures make up Jekyll Island’s National Historic Landmark District…but there’s only one Hollybourne Cottage.
“Hollybourne just keeps telling us things that we knew nothing about before,” says Jekyll Island Authority Historic Preservationist Taylor Davis.
The district was once the site of the Jekyll Island Club, an opulent Gilded Age winter getaway owned by the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world.
“William Rockefeller, William Vanderbilt, Vincent Astor, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field,” notes Tom Alexander, Jekyll Island Authority’s director of historic resources.
Also on the list? Noted bridge builder Charles Stewart Maurice, who built Hollybourne Cottage in 1890. According to Davis, the Maurice family immediately fell in love with the history and the natural landscape of Jekyll Island, which is why they made the unusual choice to construct their home out of tabby, a kind of concrete made using oyster shells.
The ‘rich’ history of Georgia’s Jekyll Island
With its sun-soaked beaches and centuries-old oak trees, there’s a romance and drama to Georgia’s Jekyll Island that once lured some of the most powerful families in America. Now what was once called ‘the most inaccessible club in the world’ is a state park open to everyone.
“Originally, during the Colonial Era, we had no clay for making bricks, we had no stone for building permanent structures. So, they wanted to build structures of a permanent nature, and we had lots and lots of oyster shells,” says Davis.
Another extremely unusual feature of Hollybourne Cottage is its bridge-inspired interior support structure.
“We have a massive bridge truss…with the tie rods going all the way up into the third floor,” explains Davis. “And that actually is what creates the large, expansive rooms, which are very large for an 1890s structure.”
After the state took over Jekyll Island in the 1940s, transforming it into a state park, Hollybourne Cottage sat vacant and fell into disrepair. But today, thanks to the painstaking preservation work being done by Davis and his team, the “tabby temple” is experiencing a resurrection. And with every step in the preservation process, Davis says Hollybourne Cottage releases more of its long-held secrets … like in 2018, when a teenager ventured up the stairs to the third floor.
“A 15-year-old grandson of one of the contractors helping us … mentioned to me that he found some drawings on the third floor,” recalls Davis. “And we went up, and sure enough, there were drawings from 1902, by Emily Maurice, daughter of the builder of the home.”
Davis says when the preservation space is complete, Hollybourne Cottage will be used as an active venue space, and that several rooms will be used to interpret the story of the Maurice family and the cottage’s history.
For more information on visiting Hollybourne Cottage, click here.
‘Mayan M.C.’ rides in for final season
The fifth and final season of FX’s gritty biker drama ‘Mayans M.C.’ premiers Wednesday as the show prepares for an explosive conclusion. JD Pardo and Clayton Cardenas star on the show as brothers EZ and Angel, and they joined Natalie McCann to talk about the show’s incredible run and their chemistry on-screen.
JD Pardoand& Clayton Cardenas of “Mayans M.C.”: It’s time to choose between club or family as FX’s “Mayans M.C.” returns for its fifth and final season. “Mayans M.C.” follows the life of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo), president of the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Once a golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp, EZ has now risen to lead his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) and the Santo Padre M.C. in a bloody war against their rival Sons of Anarchy. Defending the California territory and patch begins to claim lives within the club and causes strain between EZ and Angel — as one brother devotes himself to the club and the other to family. Felipe (Edward James Olmos) attempts to heal these fractured bonds for the future of the Reyes family.
Gocha Hawkins serves up tapas at restaurant
Atlanta has a brand new place to enjoy delicious tapas and yummy cocktails thanks to celebrity hairstylist turned restauranteur Gocha Hawkins. She joins Joanne Feldman in the Good Day kitchen to show off some of the tasty items on the menu at Gocha’s Tapas Bar.
Gocha’s Tapas Bar is now open: This is the second location for the business. The grand opening was hosted by actress and producer Crystal Renee from BET’s “Sistas.” Gocha’s Tapas Bar is located at: 5829 Campbellton Rd SW, Atlanta. Located in the brand new Publix Shopping Center at Sandtown Crossing, the tapas restaurant and bar’s interior space is over 1500 square feet with a 2100 square feet patio space.
DeAsia Robinson’s celebrity news update
From celebrities embarking on new romance to breaking the bank with a record-breaking home purchase, entertainment contributor DeAsia Robinson has all you need to know about the celebrity couples making headlines.
DeAsia Robinson talks the latest in entertainment news: Beyonce and Jay-Z just bought a new crib, and rumors are swirling about Megan Good and Johnathan Majors. Follow her on social media @yesthatdee